Aviva chief ‘on leave’, Pigsback dividend and Google’s power

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Picture of a sign with the logo of Aviva on their headquarters for Lyon, France. Aviva plc is a British multinational insurance company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. Aviva is one of the largest general insurer and a leading life and pensions provider in the world
Picture of a sign with the logo of Aviva on their headquarters for Lyon, France. Aviva plc is a British multinational insurance company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. Aviva is one of the largest general insurer and a leading life and pensions provider in the world

Aviva Ireland's general insurance chief executive John Quinlan is "on leave" from his role and a senior executive from the insurer's UK parent has been parachuted in to take on his duties, according to the company. Joe Brennan reports on the development, which is understood to have taken place in recent weeks.

Mark Paul has details on a balance-sheet restructuring at Empathy Marketing – the business behind Pigsback.com – that could allow for the future payment of dividends of up to €12.3 million. Empathy changed hands in February for about €25 million.

Bloomberg has provided new backing of €240 million for its loss-making Irish business PolarLake, reports Charlie Taylor. The financial giant bought PolarLake for a reported $25 million (€22.6 million) seven years ago.

Amnesty International is today warning that the business models of technology giants Facebook and Google pose a "systemic threat to human rights", writes Laura Slattery. The campaign group is calling for a "radical overhaul" of the two companies' core activity.

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Taking up a similar theme in this week's Net Results column, Karlin Lillington focuses particularly on the huge power wielded by Google. She suggests that where once we searched Google,now Google searches us.

When was the last time you watched a TV show on a scheduled TV channel, asks Ciara O'Brien in our technology section. She looks at the burgeoning popularity of streaming services and surveys the Irish market for the different offerings available to consumers.

TikTok, the social media platform beloved by thousands of young Irish people, is "the refreshing weirdo" of the landscape, but some observers see it as more of a menace than a positive influence. We consider the arguments.

And finally, are you reading this in your home office? If so, you may well be more productive than your co-workers who are hiking into work. Chris Horn wonders why so many of us are constrained by wasted commute times and inflexible working hours, when we could do without traditional offices altogether.

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Úna McCaffrey

Úna McCaffrey

Úna McCaffrey is Digital Features Editor at The Irish Times.